Hearts Leap (In a Giddy Whirl)
by Killaurey
Summary: Yuffie's idea of a surprise should leave much to be desired. Yuffie x Vincent.


**Title:** Hearts Leap (In a Giddy Whirl)  
**Rating:** G  
**Words:** 1,710  
**Summary:** Yuffie's idea of a surprise _should_ leave much to be desired. Yuffie x Vincent.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything _FFVII_ related. Sadly.  
**Notes:** This fic fills celtic_sakura's prompt for Wishlist 2012. It also fills the "Making someone smile" square on my Cotton Candy Bingo card. Thanks to puffinmuffin for looking this over for me! 

* * *

"Hey hey hey!" Yuffie says, hands on her hips and looking somewhere between exasperated and amused. "I'm talking to you! Are you listening?"

"No," Vincent says dryly. "I'm not."

She huffs, crossing her arms and tapping one foot. She can never stay still. He doesn't understand where she gets the energy from. "And I came all the way out here just to see you! Geez."

"I didn't ask you to," he points out.

Not that it's ever stopped her before. Vincent has come to the conclusion that no one stops Yuffie from doing what she wants. And anyone who tries is in for disappointment.

Vincent is rather used to disappointment. Perhaps that's why he keeps trying. Or perhaps it's an obscure form of punishment for his many, many sins.

"I know," Yuffie says, a reckless, dangerous sort of joy on her face. "That's one of the reasons I came. I don't like being told what to do."

Vincent knows _that_. "What do you want?"

"I _told_ you," she replies, rolling her eyes, like, gods he's so exasperating. Yuffie doesn't say it, but Vincent knows that expression and tone.

He can object when she flat out lies (which is often) however. "You did not," he says, watching her fidget.

"See," she says, "this is how I know you weren't listening to me. You never listen to me."

"That's not true."

She raises her eyebrows at him.

"I listen when you have something important to say," he says, since it _is_ true that he tunes out her babbling. She talks lots and most of it is inconsequential to everyone, even her.

"Come ooon!" She reaches out and grabs his arm, which startles him since no one touches him. Yuffie doesn't seem to realize that, as she tugs him on. "I've got a surprise for you! That's what this is about."

"I don't like surprises," he says, stumbling after her.

She ignores that and just laughs.

(Her laugh is like the sun.)

Vincent wraps his shadows around himself and lets her lead the way. (It always turns out like this, somehow, now that the world has been saved. He doesn't understand it, but he doesn't question it either.)

"Aren't you going to ask what your surprise is?" she wheedles. "Come on, please?"

"And give you the satisfaction of saying no?" Vincent murmurs. "That's a bit predictable."

Especially since he doesn't actually care what the surprise is.

"You're no fun!"

"I know."

That makes her laugh, which leaves him feeling a little off-balance. He was being serious. He wonders if she knows that.

"Come on," Yuffie insists, "just try and guess!"

"I don't want to," he objects. "That defeats the purpose of a surprise."

She huffs, arms akimbo, again, and rolls her eyes (also again). "It's part of the game! Just try!"

Vincent would tell her that he doesn't want to play games, because the games he used to play backfired so spectacularly, but since she pouts and it's true she did come out to see him for no reason that he really follows, he caves and decides to indulge her.

In his own way.

"Bloody bones," he suggests mildly.

She stumbles, nearly tripping, and windmills her arms to regain her balance. "What?!" Yuffie yelps. "What kind of a guess is _that_?"

"What's wrong with it?" Vincent asks, though he knows.

"It's _weird!_" she complains, laughing again. "And why would I show you that? That would be a _terrible_ surprise."

"I've yet to see a good one," he replies, voice level. Vincent is _really_ not a fan of surprises. "How far are we going?"

If he's gone for a few days, or weeks, or (truthfully) years, there is no one that will notice since he lives alone, where no one else does, but if they're going to be away for more than a few hours, he'd like to know before she springs it on him.

She spins, so that she's walking backwards, and grins up at him. "Maybe twelve hours? Or fifteen? Something like that."

Vincent surveys her impish face, her wide smile and mischievous eyes and heaves a put-upon sigh. "I don't even know why I spend time with you."

"No?" Yuffie's grin widens until it looks like it is about to crack her face in two. "Well, I know why I spend time with _you_."

Despite himself, Vincent feels the stirrings of curiosity. "Why do you?" he asks.

"Hmmm." Yuffie sticks her tongue out, spins away from him, and laughs again. "It's a secret!"

"Now who isn't being fair?" he asks dryly, squashing his irritation at being kept in the dark.

"Me!"

"You're not supposed to sound _smug_ about that."

"Says who?" Yuffie wonders. "I say I can be, so I am. It's just that simple. Besides, why shouldn't I be smug about it?" Her voice takes on a sing-song cadence as she says: "I know something you don't know."

"I'm not sinking to your level and responding to that," he tells her, though he's amused by her antics.

"Because you have so much dignity?" she teases.

"Yes," he says gravely. "Much more than you do."

Since there's no way she can even try to argue with that particular point, he isn't surprised when Yuffie lets him get away with it. It is a tiny victory but, as they walk, he savours it.

Well, he savours it in between bouts of fighting wildlife that never, ever seem to learn what danger is and to avoid it. Working as a team with Yuffie, neither of them ever gets seriously injured and potions deal with the little injuries easily.

It is strangely… nice.

They work well together as a team. As soon as he thinks that, he tries to banish the thought. However pleasing it may be, and it does please him, because he knows that Yuffie will soon enough leave to go back to Wutai, and he will be left to his own devices again.

Being alone is much easier if he doesn't hope for it to change. In any case, hope would be futile since, in the long run, it is only he and Nanaki who are likely to remain.

Nanaki's kind lives long lives and he, well, his body has been changed so much that he suspects he is effectively immortal.

He will see a green Gaia.

He knows the others, Yuffie included, will not.

It makes it hard to hope for anything, knowing that. _Perhaps,_ he thinks, _I will go and visit Nanaki after this..._

Whatever this is. He's still not sure.

Given that surety is likely to ruin him, Vincent permits the uncertainty to linger and focuses on the important things: killing the monsters that get in their way, wondering where they're going, and listening to Yuffie's carefree laugh.

(The key to enjoying her company is to not think about how much he does.)

They camp out on the edge of a nameless cliff, their campfire throwing their shadows about willy-nilly, and he is unsurprised, but vaguely despairing, to discover that she expects him to cook.

"I don't have anything on me to cook with," he protests. "This was an unexpected day trip. You're the one with the plan."

This, he says with a touch of accusation because, well, she had _better_ have a plan after they've come out here.

"Fine, fine," she says sulkily. "I'll cook."

"Good."

He leaves her to it, even when she burns dinner and has to start all over again-mostly because he suspects that she burnt it on purpose, the first time, to see if he could be goaded into taking over-and in the end, even though it still isn't very good, they eat.

"I'll take second watch," Yuffie says, once they're done. "I'm tired! You get some sleep so I can wake you up!"

"This is more than twelve hours," he murmurs. "Or even fifteen."

She grins at him, her expression fey and otherworldly due to the light of their fire. "Yeah," Yuffie says, "but isn't it fun?"

Vincent has no answer for that, since he suspects she's right, and so he sighs. "Just go to sleep."

She does, with far more noise than necessary as she attends to her preparations. He pays that no attention, more focused on as watching the night carefully.

When he wakes her, half way through the night, she comes awake immediately, groping for a weapon. After reassuring Yuffie that it is just shift-change and nothing more, he leaves her rubbing her eyes sleepily, to get his own rest.

Sleep comes easily.

(He trusts her.)

She shakes him awake a few hours earlier than they agreed on. Her eyes are bright and excited in the pre-dawn light, so he doesn't bother tensing up. "What is it?" he asks, standing and shaking out the kinks of sleeping on uneven ground.

"Come on," she says, her voice an excited whisper. "It's time for your surprise!"

It would be untrue to claim that he'd rather have more sleep-these days, he doesn't need much, doesn't want much-so Vincent just sighs and allows her to tug him forward until they're standing on the very edge of the cliff.

"If we fall," he says, "I'm blaming you."

"I'm a ninja," she retorts. "I'd save us."

"How?" Vincent asks, only be distracted as she grabs his arm and points.

"Look!" Yuffie exclaims. "Your surprise!"

To his bewilderment, he looks, and sees nothing but the sunrise slowly cresting the horizon. "What sur-"

Vincent falls silent as Yuffie's hand carefully, like she's not sure of her welcome, slides into his. He could point out that, if they're attacked, he wouldn't be able to use his gun, since his other arm can't hold it (the claws get in the way) but, when he slants a glance at her, she's a bit red in the face and, so help him, but he finds it endearing.

"See?" she says, pointing at random. "Your surprise."

He squeezes her fingers gently. "I see it," Vincent says, a bit helpless against both her and the tangled feelings in his chest. "Let's watch for a bit."

"Okay," Yuffie says quietly, but happily.

"Though," he adds, since he can't resist, "we _could_ have done this from my place."

She laughs. 


End file.
